What Effect Will “Occupy” Movement Have on 2012 Election?

The question that is lurking in many of our minds is this; will the “Occupy” movement affect the 2012 election? And how much of an effect will it have? Will the movement help President Barack Obama keep his seat? Will it help Democrats keep control of the Senate with maybe even a filibuster-proof majority, and gain control of the House of Representatives?

This is certainly a question many Democrats are definitely asking themselves now. We’re very hopeful of course. I’m sure as far as Republicans, there is trepidation about the “Occupy” movement, fearful that they may lose their gains from the 2010 midterm election which, thanks to the Tea Party crowd, they took control of the House and gained seats in the Senate.

My predictions are that it will cause an upset so big that it might actually cause the Republican Party to consider a platform change; which would be a good thing. It is of my opinion that they moved in the wrong direction after the 2008 election of Barack Obama and they allowed extremist from the far right to dictate their direction. While the rest of the world is progressing and moving forward, with a much more enlightened approach, Republicans are stuck in a time warp. What’s keeping them in this time warp is the fact that the “Tea Party” base of their party are using their new-found clout to push out moderates and overload the Congress with extremist who are refusing to budge or compromise on anything with the Democrats. This is why our Congress is deadlocked and can’t get anything done to help our ailing country.

Republican politicians are dismissing the “Occupy” protest with insults of who they are, which will not bode well for them come the next election. Calling them all losers and deadbeats isn’t accurate for one thing as many of the protestors are middle-class workers and also voters.

Fortunately, the Democrats and President Obama are on board with the “Occupy” movement and stand behind it. Obama, recently speaking at an event in Osawatomie, Kansas made it clear that the most defining issue facing the country today was the inequality of wealth, which is the main focus of the “Occupy” movement.

Our country-this great Republic-means nothing unless it means the triumph of a real democracy, the triumph of popular government, and, in the long run, of an economic system under which each man shall be guaranteed the opportunity to show the best that there is in him.

President Obama quoted the late president and made it clear that this would be what he built his 2012 campaign on. This would be wise, as this is the main concern in this country. Most Americans are fed up with the status-quo; the rich getting richer and everyone else struggling to stay above water. I believe that Obama can ride this wave right into the election and guarantee a sure win, as long as he doesn’t give in and again renew the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy.

One thing is clear, the candidates for the Republican nomination for president, at least the ones who have any chance of winning, are making it very clear that they don’t support the “Occupy” movement, which they will live to regret. Even many Americans, who are not part of the movement, sympathize with the protestors and Republican candidates who wish to be president who don’t recognize the legitimacy of the movement’s cause, will find themselves out of touch and out of a new job come November 2012.

As usual, the GOP in several state governments are putting their efforts toward seeing how many Democrats they can keep from voting in 2012 by passing Voter ID laws meant to affect many minority voters such as African-Americans, Hispanic Americans, along with the elderly and college students. Republicans state lawmakers site voter fraud as being their reason but there is no evidence that there’s a serious problem with this issue, as very few cases have been found. It’s really just a desperate attempt by the Republican Party to hold on to what they have when dissatisfied voters sweep through the polls come November 2012.

I believe the GOP’s attempt to block Democratic voters from the polls this upcoming election will backfire on them, and instead, they’ll be like flash flood victims, trying to hold onto a blade of grass as the water come rushing at them, just before they’re washed out to sea.

The “Occupy” protestors may seem just like a ragged bunch without much clout right now, but to discount their influence over this next election is a serious mistake by conservatives and one that will cost them.